One team has the longest active winning streak in the state. The other team has Section V’s leader in all-time wins sitting on its bench. Class D1 champion Avoca/Prattsburgh will face Class D2 champ Notre Dame-Batavia Wednesday night for the right to play in the New York State Class D Boys’ Far West Regional. Here’s the breakdown:
AVOCA/PRATTSBURGH (23-0/Steuben County) vs. NOTRE DAME-BATAVIA (20- 3/Genesse County II)
Scoring Offense: Avoca/Prattsburgh (87.3 PPG), Notre Dame-Batavia (70.0 PPG)
Scoring Defense: Avoca/Prattsburgh (47.6 PAPG), Notre Dame-Batavia (52.0 PAPG)
VIEW MORE DENNIS JOYCE PHOTOS HERE.
Current Streak: Dating back to last season, Avoca/Prattsburgh holds the longest active winning streak in the state at 34 games. Notre Dame-Batavia has won 13 games in a row including eight of the past nine games by double-digits.
How they arrived here: Avoca/Prattsburgh opened with a 114-24 win over Arkport- Canaseraga before beating Marion 82-34 to reach the finals. A/P edged Wheatland-Chili 68-67 to win its second straight sectional title. For Notre Dame-Batavia, the Fighting Irish won a first-round game against Houghton, (79-31), beat Romulus in the semifinals, 72-39 before claiming the Class D2 title with a 59-46 win over Elba.
Players to Watch for Avoca/Prattsburgh: Haden Abbott Jr. F 11.7PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.5 APG, 3.2 SPG; Sawyer Devoe Jr. F/G 16.8 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.5 SPG, 3.2 SPG; Pacey Hopkins Sr. G 16.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.7 APG, 4.7 SPG; Caleb Johnson 9.7 PPG, 5.6 RPH, 3.0 APG, 2.2 SPG; Macoy Putnam 16.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 7.7 APG, 4.8 SPG. As a team, A/P averages 26.4 assists and 19.6 steals per game.
Players to Watch for Notre Dame-Batavia: Colin McCulley Sr. G 15.1 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 3.1 APG, 3.3 SPG; Ryan Fitzpatrick So. G 14.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.7 SPG; Jordan Welker Jr. PG 14.1 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 5.2 APG, 2.7 SPG; Jimmy Fanara Jr. F 12.8 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.2 SPG; Cody Henry Sr. F 11.9 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.4 SPG.
Coaches: Brian Putnam (Avoca/Prattsburgh), Mike Rapone (Notre Dame-Batavia)
History 101: Avoca won the 2020 Class D1 title and Prattsburgh claimed the D2 championship the same year (the program’s 11th in history). The two schools merged last year and took the D2 title. Prattsburgh made three regional appearances with a record of 2 wins and 1 loss in those games. Avoca won all three of its regional appearances. ND-Batavia head coach Mike Rapone announced his retirement prior to the season. In 42 years on the Fighting Irish bench, Rapone’s teams have won 728 including state titles in 1992 and 2001. This will be Notre Dame’s seventh regional game. The Fighting Irish have a 5-1 record in their previous appearances, the last victory coming in 2012.
What’s at stake: A spot in the NYS Far West Regionals against Section VI champ, Westfield.
A 7 p.m. tipoff is scheduled at Dansville High School.
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